By Bryan Bloodworth

BLOOMINGTON – At his current pace, former Illinois State and Normal West High School product Brock Stewart is on a fast track to the big leagues.

Stewart started the season at the single A level, but has quickly passed through the ranks to the triple A level with Oklahoma City in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization.

Not bad for a guy, who didn’t start his pitching career until his senior year at ISU.

“I was a position player my whole life, but things didn’t work out that way,” said Stewart. “I always knew my arm was my best tool. I was pretty much told every year that I should try to pitch in college, but I wanted to help my team with my bat and defense.

“It didn’t work out as a position player and it was pretty much hinted to me my senior year by my pitching coach Billy Mool and my dad (former ISU baseball coach Jeff Stewart) that I should pitch especially if I wanted a really bright future in professional ball.”

Stewart is 7-3 with a 1.35 earned run average in 13 games across the three minor league levels with 89 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 80 innings. He is 2-0 with just one walk and 17 strikeouts in 12 innings in his first two starts in Oklahoma City.

“I don’t pay much attention to the numbers,” Stewart continued. “It’s a fun game every level you go. I just try to keep that in mind and pitch my game and it’s worked out pretty well so far.”

And what is Stewart’s game?

“My game is competing with the fastball. I throw a lot of fastballs,” said Stewart, whose fastball averages 93 mph.

Ironically, Stewart’s pitching coach in Oklahoma City is former ISU and major league pitcher Matt Herges. “He’s helping me a lot and it’s really fun to have another Redbird in the dugout,” added Stewart.

The next step for Stewart in the big leagues, but he tries not to dwell on it.

“I just take it day-by-day,” he said. “Today I go to the park and do my work and the next day I do the same thing and see what happens.”

Bryan Bloodworth can be reached at [email protected]